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HEARING 



BEFORE A 



SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE 
ON MILITARY AFFAIRS 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 



SIXTIETH CONGRESS 
SECOND SESSION 



X ON 

H. R. 9131 

TO ESTABLISH A NATIONAL PARK 
AT FORT FISHER. N. C. 



JANUARY 10, 1909 



WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1909 



Id 



E^7 

.65 

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■-/i t-, *-Si 



NATIONAL PARK AT FORT FISHER, N. C. 



House of Representatives, 
Committee on Military Affairs, 

Saturday, January 16, 1909. 

The subcommittee this day met, Hon. A. B. Capron in the chair. 

The Chairman. I believe, owing; to the condition of the weather, 
we will not get a full meeting of the committee this morning, or, 
rather, it can not be depended upon, especially as this committee has 
been worldng overtime on our appropriation bill. 

Mr. Godwin. Yes; and at such a very short notice. 

The Chairman. Some of the members of the subcommittee haye 
just returned from West Point — 6 or 7 of them. 

Mr. Godwin. Yes, sir; I know how hard it is to get a full meeting 
of a committee on a morning like this ; but as we have a stenographer 
here we can proceed and keep a record of the proceedings. 

The Chairman. Yes, sir; we will have the record of what we do and 
all that is said before the committee. 

STATEMENT OF HON. HANNIBAL L. GODWIN, A MEMBER OF 
CONGRESS FROM THE SIXTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF 
NORTH CAROLINA. 

Mr. Godwin. Mr. Chairman' this is a hearing which I asked for at 
the instance of the representatives of the Fort Fisher Survivors' 
Association on our bill now pending before your committee, which 
provided for an appropriation of $40,000 for the purchase of Fort 
Fisher and to establish a national j)ark there. Here is a copy of the 
bill, which I wUl read : 

Be it enacted, etc., That the Secretary of War is hereby authorized and empowered to 
acquire, by purchase or otherwise, the site of Fort P'isher, in the county of New Han- 
over, and State of North (Carolina, comprising a tract of land between three and four 
hundred acres in extent, adjacent to and surrounding the ruins of the said Fort Fisher. 

Sec. 2. That the said lands and premises above mentioned are hereby constituted 
and set apart as a national park or reservation, under such rules and regulations as may 
be adopted and promulgated by the Secretary of War. 

Sec. 3. That the sum of forty thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be neces- 
sary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appro- 
priated, for the purpose of carrying into efl'ect this act. 

It is needless for me to say that we are very anxious to secure a 
favorable report on this bill. There are certain facts and circum- 
stances which I believe peculiarly surrovuid the bill that I do not 
believe surround any other application now pending before this com- 
mittee. While I do not intend to undertake to make the speeches 
of these gentlemen present, or to depict all that they will say to you, 
I want to state that the North and the South have come together on this 
proposition, and both sections as one man are asking for this bill to be 
passed to reclaim old Fort Fisher, in New Hanover County, N. C, 

3 



4 • NATIONAL PARK AT FOET FISHEK, N. C. 

and to establish a park there and possibly to erect monuments and 
other memorials. I shall have somethinj^ further to sa}^ after these 
o;entleinen who are to speak to you have concluded. Now, we have 
comrades from both sides present. The Fort Fisher Survivors' 
Association have sent their representatives here this morning, and I 
take great pleasure in introducing to you Mr. John B. Jones, of Utica, 
N. Y. I have not been advised by the association as to how they 
Avish to proceed, but we will proceed informally. 

Rev. J. A. Smith. We have elected some speakers from each side. 

Mr. Godwin". If you will let me know the names of your speakers, I 
shall be glad to introduce them to the committee. 

Rev. J. A. Smith. The first gentleman on the list will be Comrade 
Jones, of Utica. 

Mr. Godwin. Then I made no mistake. 

STATEMENT OF MR. JOHN B. JONES, OF UTICA, N. Y. 

Mr. Jones. I regret ver}" much that I have to do the talking here 
to-day for the congressional district which, is represented in the House 
of 'Representatives by the Vice-President elect, Mr. James S. Sher- 
man, who I am proud to say is one of my friends. 

I am here representing the veterans of central New York, who 
took a brave part in the battle of Fort Fisher, and to try to urge upon 
you the imi)ortance (^f the passage of this bill. Two j^ears ago yes- 
terday we held a reunion upon that spot w^ith our comrades of the 
gray, and we formed this association for the purpose of purchasing 
that site and commemorating what to many historians w^as one of 
the important battles of the war, because we cut off the last supplies 
from our confederate friends who sit here around the table. I think 
this is a peculiar case, as Representative Godwin has said. It is the 
only time, to my knowledge, where the blue and the gray have come 
and asked for the passage of a bill of this character, and we hope 
that that being the case you will recommend the passage of this bill, 
because of the fact that we who partici])ate(l in that struggle are 
fast growing old and we want to get this bill through, if possible, so 
that as many of us as are left can go down there once more and dedi- 
cate that site. If it is delayed any great length of time a great 
many of us will be de))rived of the privilege of participating in that 
event, because you know how fast we are ])assing away. 

I have not the language and ability to impress upon you how 
much we desire the passage of this bill, and while we appreciate the 
fact that you are cutting clown appropriations in every way vou can, 
yet we hope that you can see your wa}' clear to report this bill favor- 
ably and give us the opportunity of decHcating that park as soon as 
possible. 

I would state further that if you will give us this site, if you w^ill 
appropriate the money to buy the site, we will take care of the 
monument business up in the State of New ^^ork, because it was 
largely New York and Rhode Island that participated in the battle 
on the Union side. AVe will have the State of New York take care of 
the monument question without any trouble whatever, and all we 
desire of you is to give us the site. ' 

I want to say further to you, Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the 
committee, I do not believe the site will cost the amoimt of money 



NATIONAL PAKK AT FORT FliSHEK, N. C. 5 

this bill calls for, but we ask for so much of it as may be necessary. 
We would like very much indeed to be able to go home and say to the 
comrades, both of the North and the South, that we secured a favor- 
able report from your committee. I thank you for your attention. 

Mr. Sherwood. How much of an area does it cover? 

Mr. Jones. About 3,000 acres, as I understand it. 

Mr. McQueen. I do not think there is that much. 

Mr. Sherwood. The bill only calls for 400 acres. 

Mr. McQueen. It covers a strip of land about 2 miles long and 1 
mile wide. 

Mr. Price. If the amount of land is taken in to cover the whole of 
the battle, it will take about 3,000 acres. It is about 5 miles long 
and about 1 mile wide, and about 625 acres to the mile would be 
about 3,000 acres. 

Mr. Godwin. I now introduce Mr. A. H. O'Brien, of Philadelphia, 
who will address the committee. 

STATEMENT OF ME. ALBERT H. O'BRIEN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PA. 

Mr. O'Brien. I hardly expected to be called upon to address the 
committee, but as I have been. I can only say this, it may be of 
interest to this subcommittee to know that the association which 
was formed two years ago in Wilmington, N. C, on the 15th of 
.Tanuary, 1907, was the first reunion of the blue and the gray who 
participated in the battle of Fort Fisher. The object of that reunion 
was not at that time to secure the appropriation, although it was in 
the interest of the old flag, but as a sequence of that reunion, the 
suggestion of acquiring the site of the battle of Fort Fisher and 
appropriating it to the purposes of a national park had its origin. 
The details of this matter are very much more familiar to some of the 
gentlemen in this delegation than they are to me. The only points 
to which I would wish to call your at ention are two. First, not- 
withstanding the fact that this is a character of other requests which 
you are entertaining from other directions, the acquisition of property 
for the purposes of park, as my friend says, this is a peculiar request, 
one that is meritorious, and I sincerely believe should be granted. 
The results attendant upon the battle of Fort Fisher are unique. 
You may all remember that at that time General Grant was in front 
of General Lee, and that General Sherman had practically accom- 
plished what was at that time said to be his impossible march, and 
there was between him and the junction with General Grant's forces 
but this one place and the troops there centered. Wilmington was 
the source of supplies for the whole Confederacy, and the whole 
Confederacy at that time lived upon what came into the port of 
Wilmington, and Fort Fisher was the key to that port. With the 
capture of Fort Fisher that source of supply was completeh'^ closed, 
and within three months from that time the war was over. The 
capture of the fort enabled General Sherman to make his junction 
with Ge«ieral Grant, and there was but one thing left for General 
Lee to do, and that A\as to surrender. 

Now, wdthout any desire to dwell upon the morals or the feelings 
which might be engendered by a situation of that kind, that is a 
historical fact, and I know of no circumstances in the application 
which has been made by any parties to any committees for appro- 



6 , NATIONAL PARK AT FORT FISHER, N. C. 

E nations of this character where that state of facts exists. The 
attle of Gettysburg was a decisive battle, no doubt; the battle of 
Vicksburg was a decisive battle; but the battle of Fort Fisher was 
not only decisive but absolutely the closing of the civil war. If that 
battle hail not been fought — if Fort Fisher had not been taken — there 
is no telling how much longer the war might have continued. With 
that fact in view, I would ask in behalf of the association that your 
committee would favorably consider this application and take it 
out of the catalogue of applications of this character to which it 
might otherwise belong. 

It is unique in itself. As Mr. Jones says, the State of New York 
will look out for the subsequent results. Acquire the site and give 
New York an opportunity, give the Confederates an opportvmity, 
and, as representing a portion of the navy at that place, give the 
navy an opportimity to do the balance. If you will give us the 
entering wedge we will build the structure. 

I had some hesitation in responding on account of my extreme 
youth, and when I look around at these gray-haired veterans I some- 
times think it is rather presumptive for me to talk about this matter. 

Mr. Godwin. I now introduce as the next speaker Capt. James 
Parker. 

STATEMENT OF CAPT. JAMES PARKER, OF PERTH AMBOY, N. J. 

Captain Parker. We were in hopes to have with us to-da}^ Col. 
William Lamb, of Norfolk, but on account of the weather and his 
health he could not come. He was the party resisting on that day. 

In the first place, there were 65 ships off there that had been bom- 
barding the place for five days — naval vessels. Then when the day 
of assault came, and yesterday was the anniversary of it, the navy 
having done what it thought its duty on that occasion was, made up 
its mind that it would go ashore and help the army do theirs. That 
was uniijue in its character. No such earthwork has ever been built. 
No such defensive s})ot has ever been created as that one. It pre- 
sented the difficulties of attack and facilities of defense that are very 
seldom seen, and never have been, in my knowledge, in the world 
before. It consisted of a long series of batteries along the sea beach 
here [indicating], and away down there [indicathig], Battery Buchanan, 
and then the Mound. There was a series of covered ways connecting 
with the main fort, which was perhaps 400 feet long, and then there 
was a series of traverses that ran across. You military men know 
what a traverse is. It was so defended on one side by the water, too 
shallow except for gunboats to approach it, and it was defended on 
the other side by an enormous aggregation of guns. We had been 
fortunate enough with our naval foi'ce to disable every one of the guns 
in the traverses. Then we undertook the foolish proposition to assault 
a fort 43 feet high, which was the center of this work. No such 
assault ever occurred before, and I do not think any such assault will 
occur again. I do not hesitate to say that no more dangerous opera- 
tion ever took place than the assault at that place, both by the army 
and navy. It has been well said here that the capture of Wilmington 
practically decided the result of the war. It was the only port left 
open. Sherman had marched and Charleston had surrendered, and 
all the forts on the Gulf were too far away. Wilmington was the 
port through which all the supj)lies for the Confederacy came, except 



NATIONAL PARK AT FOKT FISHER, 2J. C. ,7 

such things as they could get at home, which were very few, and it 
was of the greatest importance to General Lee. 

I think it was one of the decisive battles. We had battles that 
were important, hundreds of them, on both sides, such as the battles 
at Stone River and Murfreesboro ; but there were only a few of the 
battles which, in my judgment, were decisive — Vicksburg, Chatta- 
nooga, Lookout Mountain, Gettysburg, Petersburg, Appomattox, and 
last, but not least. Fort Fisher. That was one of the decisive battles, 
and we want this committee, as has been stated, to make no exception. 
We know that economy is the rule nowadays ; that we are in the con- 
dition of a spendthrift who has spent all his money and does not 
know how to keep the sheriff away; but this country can very well 
afford to appropriate the small amount that we ask here to perpetuate 
such a battle. It is unique in itself. It has the river on one side and 
the ocean on the other. There is no other such place where you can 
put the money and have a park, and I think the committee, when 
they consider the matter from their standpoint, will be satisfied to 
recommend the passage of this bill. I am very much obliged to you 
for your attention. 

Mr. Godwin. I will now introduce to you my good friend, Rev. J. A. 
Smith, of Wilmington, N. C. 

STATEMENT OF REV. J. A. SMITH, OF WILMINGTON. N. C. 

Si Rev. J. A. Smith. You will remember that I appeared before your 
committee along this line last March, and when I made that address 
I covered all the ground that I desired at that time. I suppose you 
gentlemen were present and heard me on that occasion and remember 
what I said. 

The first thought that comes to my mind is this: Sometime ago 
when going down one of the streets of my home city, Wilmington, a lady 
called me in and she said: "I understand you are going up to Utica to 
deliver an address." I said, "I am;" she said, "I want to tell you 
something. I have a grandson attending one of those famous schools 
in the city of London and some time ago the professor of history 
there delivered an address to the student body on the famous land and 
naval battles of the world, and he said to the students who heard his 
lecture, 'One of the greatest land and naval battles ever fought any- 
where in the world was the battle fought down at Fort Fisher, in the 
State of North Carolina, which practically closed the great civil war.' " 
I mention this to the committee so you can see what our cousins 
across the sea think of this battle. If they regard it as one of the 
greatest land and naval battles on record it does seem to me that the 
United States shoukl take some decisive action to perpetuate the 
memory of that battle. 

Comrade Jones, from Utica, has stated the real feeling and senti- 
ment of the Fort Fisher Survivors' Association. We are well aware 
of the fact that there are many, many calls for appropriations along 
this line, but we do sincerely hope that the gentlemen of this com- 
mittee will look upon this as an exception to the general rule, and on 
account of the demands of the case will give it special consideration. 
As Comrade Jones remarked, it is necessary to mark certain spots in 
that battle, because the parties who participated in that battle will 
not be here many more years before they "cross the river and rest 
beneath the shade of the trees," and we would like to meet in a body 



S , NATIONAL PARK AT FORT FISHER, JM. 0. 

-down there, and would like to carry some of our descendants there 
and show them where their fathers fought that great battle. We 
hope that you gentlemen of the committee will separate it from those 
other matters and look upon it as a peculiar and unique case, and, as 
one of the comrades remarked, it was that battle which hastened the 
close of the civil war. There is no doubt about that. It is not a 
debatable question. It hastened the surrender of Lee and Johnston 
and cut off entirel)^ the base of supplies for the Confederate States. 
That is not a debatable ciuestion. 

One more thought and I am through. The strongest argument in 
favor of perpetuating the memory of tliis battle is this fact : That one 
of the greatest victories acliieved was acliieved there two years ago, 
the 15tn of January, when the Blue and the Gray who fought that 
battle met there on that old historical battlefield and clasoed the 
hands of eternal friendship and undying brotherly love. That is a 
fact, and the reunion held at Fort Fisher, and I speak dispassionately, 
has done more to establish peace between the two sections than any- 
thing else that has occurred during the year. Do you not think so, 
Comrade Jones ? 

Mr. Jones. I do. 

Rev. J. A. Smith. I think I represent the sentiment of my northern 
comrades as well as my southern comrades when I say that I want 
to see one magnificent monument — ^I do not know what State will 
erect it; but I want to see a monument there representing the clasped 
hands of the Blue and the Gray, and on that monument this inscrip- 
tion: "Here was achieved, January 15, 1907, the greatest victory in 
the history of the United States, a victory of peace." 

It is a (leUghtful spirit which has been awakened by the reunion 
of the Blue and Gray, and I sincerely hope that this committee will 
give us a favorable consideration. 

Captain Parker. On the occasion that Reverend Smith speaks of 
'Colonel Lamb, of Norfolk (where I married my dear wife), and I 
stood upon the mins of Fort Fisher, the point where he stood when 
he was trying to kill me and other officers, and we stood there with 
our arms around each other and declared the war forever at an end. 

Reverend Smith. To give you some idea of the delightfid feeling 
that exists between the Blue and the Gray, and which, like the leaven 
put in the meal, is spreading all over the United States, from the 
'Golden Gate of California to the gentle slopes of the Atlantic, last 
November I was invited b}^ my comrades to deliver an address at 
Utica, N. Y. I went, and during the address I received a note 
from Mr. Seeley, the man who had captured me. I " told you of 
that when I was here before. After I was through with my address 
&t Utica I went to see Mr. Seeley, and he met me at the depot. It 
was snowing more furiously than it is here, and he carried me to 
his home and said, "I will join you in the house when I put up my 
horses," and he went and put up his horses — he belongs to the rural 
route ser\ace — -and when he came into the house he threw both his arms 
around my neck, and with the tears flowing down his cheeks he said, 
■"I love you better than any man on earth," and turned to his wife 
and said, "I thank God thai I did not kill that barefoot boy at Fort 
Fisher," and I said, "I thank God that I did not kill you," 

That is the feeling that now exists between the Blue and the Gray, 
and if you gentlemen will grant us this bill it will do more to per- 



NATIONAL PARK AT FORT FISHER, N. C. 9 

petuate the peace of the United States than anything that has 
occurred since the war, 

Mr. Bradley. This bill provides for the purchase of land? 

Reverend Smith. That is all. 

Mr. Bradley. Between three and four hundred acres? 

Reverend Smith. Yes, sir. 

Mr. Bradley. It is not for the erection of a monument; the States 
will do that? 

Reverend Smith. Yes, sir. Comrade Jones says that New York 
will manage the monumental part if you will purchase the site, and 
what New York will do the other States will do. 

Mr. Godwin. I have the pleasure of introducing to you another 
prominent member of the Fort Fisher Survivors' Association, Mr. 
H. C. McQueen, of Wilmington, N. C. 

STATEMENT OF MR. H. C. McQUEEN, OF WILMINGTON, N. C. 

Mr. McQueen. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, the 
ground has been pretty well covered, I think, by the other speakers, 
but I would just like to emphasize what has already been brought 
out, and that is that this battle is one of the few, two or three, great 
crises in the world. There is no doubt about that. Now, take into 
consideration the fact that blockade runners, fast steamers, many of 
them running in and out constantly — in fact, one or two came into the 
river that night the fort was captured and heard of it and slipped 
out again — but they ran there almost as regularly as the liners go from 
New York to Liverpool now, and brought in all sorts of supplies, pro- 
visions, medicines, and everything of that kind. General Lee's 
army had been supplied for months from Wilmington with the sup- 
plies brought in by those ships. They paid for the supplies with the 
cotton that was shipped out on those ships. That being the fact, it 
looks to me like the Government of the United States ought t^per- 
petuate the memory of that battle. ^ 

As has been stated, the reunion that we have had has brought a 
feeling between the North and South that has surprised everybody, 
and I do hope the committee will report this bill favorably. We 
have made up our minds that we are not going to stop trying until 
we get this money. I thank you, gentlemen. 

Mr. Godwin. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, I 
desire to introduce to you Mr. D. L. Gore, of Wilmington, N. C, 
who is also a member of the Fort Fisher Survivors Association. 

STATEMENT OF ME. D. L. GORE, OF WILMINGTON, N. C. 

Mr. Gore. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, it 
seems to me that these gentlemen have covered the entire ground, 
and it reminds me of an instance that occurred in my town. A 
young lawyer came down the street and somebody asked liim if he 
had finished and he said, ''After that Httle black head got through 
there was nothing for me to say," and after these gentlemen have 
finished there is nothing more for me to say. 

Gettysburg, Chickamauga, and a lot of other battlefields have 
been bought, and a lot of money paid for them, and it is nothing more 
than fair that we should have something to perpetuate our battle. 



10 , NATIONAL PARK AT FORT FISHER, N. C. 

I think we have the right to ask for this appropriation. We only- 
want the site paid for. New York says she will perpetuate her part 
of the monument, and our people will perpetuate theirs. While 

ferhaps we are not as rich as New York, we can put up a monument, 
think you gentlemen ought to be economical in the appropriations, 
but I think you should make tliis appropriation, and if we ^o not 
get it now we are going to keep trying until we do get it. I am 
much obliged to you for your attention. 

FURTHER STATEMENT OF MR. GODWIN. 

Mr. Godwin. This is a great demonstration here to-day, greater, 
possibly, than you are aware of. I have introduced to your commit- 
tee some of the leading men of the country, who fought on both sides, 
both for the North and the South, the blue and the gray, in that 
decisive battle during the civil war. Mr. Jones, the gentleman who 
first addressed you, is from Utica, N. Y., the home of Vice-President- 
elect Sherman, and the home of the One hundred and seventeenth 
New York Regiment, which actually engaged in the battle of Fort 
Fisher. So you see, Mr. Chairman, the people of New York, that 
great State, are behind this movement in earnest. I also introduced 
to you Mr. O'Brien, of Philadelphia, who represents the survivors of 
the great State of Pennsylvania, who are also very much interested, 
and are behind this movement ; also Ca})tain Parker, of New Jersey, 
and three gentlemen, Messrs. Smith, McQueen, and Gore, from North 
Carolina, the home of the scene of the battle of Fort Fisher, and all 
are deeply interested and concernetl in having this historic battle 
ground converted into a national park. 

It has been intimated to 5"ou to-day that these gentlemen are in 
earnest about this proposition, antl I can say for them that they 
are in earnest. They braved the stormy weather to come to Wash- 
ington, some two hundred, some three hundred, and some four hun- 
dre^niles, to attend the meeting of the Fort Fisher Survivors' Asso- 
ciation called by the executive committee to meet in the cit}'' of 
Washington on the 1 5th of eJanuary. It w^as held, and Vice-President- 
elect Sherman and myself received the marked honor of being 
electetl honorary members of the association. They came here to 
attend their meeting that was held yesterda}^, and you have heard 
their committee here before you. They have had a large and enthu- 
siastic meeting. I had the pleasure of attending and hearing the 
discussions, and 1 can say that it was understood in that meeting 
that they were not going to cease in their efforts until they secured 
a favorable report on this bill, let it be in this Congress, the next 
Congress, or the next Congress, or further on in the future; they 
intend to hammer and knock until they get this park established. 

This is a very reasonable proposition. We know that you are 
flooded with bills, we know your committee is overrun with work, 
we understand that you have 2, .500 bills before your committee, and 
that committees representing associations come here from all parts of 
the country pressing their cases as the most important, and it is 
reasonable that every man thinks that lie has the most meritorious 
case. 

As I said in the beginning, this is indeed a peculiar case. We are 
not asking anything but that the Government commit itself to pur 



NATIONAL PARK AT FORT FISHER, N. C. 11 

chase the site, four or five hundred acres; this is a very reasonable 
request; the land will not cost much. 

Mr. Kahn. How much do you think it will cost annually to main- 
tain the park? 

Mr. Godwin. Only a small amount. 

Mr. Kahn. How many people will it })e necessary to employ? 

Mr. Godwin. One. 

Mr. Kahn. That will be sufficient? 

Mr. Godwin. Yes, sir. 

Fort Fisher is down at the extreme lower point of New Hanover 
County, N. C; it is bounded on the west by the beautiful Cape Fear 
River and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean. It was one of the 
most decisive battles of the late civil war. Here "Fighting Bob" 
Evans, who participated in that famous battle, received injuries 
which he will carry with him through life. Col. William Lamb, 
who was in command of Fort Fisher, in his report of its defense 
says that the capture of Fort Fisher, N, C, on the 15th of January, 
1865, was followed so quickly by the final dissolution of the Southern 
Confederacy that the great victory was not fully realized by the 
American people. The position commanded the last gateway be- 
tween the Confederate States and the outside world. Its capture, 
with the resulting loss of all the Cape Fear River defenses and of 
Wilmington, the great importing depot of the South, effectually in- 
jured the blockade running. General Lee, feeling the importance of 
the situation, notified Colonel Lamb that Fort Fisher must be held 
or he could not subsist his army. 

As I said, this was a great battle, and the ruins of Fort Fisher 
should be reclaimed and converted into a national park. If you will 
give us this park, the people of that section will build cottages 
from it along the sea front to Wrightsville Beach, a distance of 10 or 12 
miles. Wrightsville Beach, as you know, is a very attractive sum- 
mer resort near Wilmington. New Hanover County would build a 
nice macadam road from Wilmington, the largest city in North 
Carolina, down the Cape Fear to the park. Visitors could visit the 
park from Wilmington by going down the trolley line to Wrightsville 
Beach and on to Fort Fish«r, down the beach. They could also go 
down the macadam road, or take a beautiful sail, which would be 
pleasant and attractive, down the Cape Fear River. Something hke 
100,000 people would visit the park every year. I think that is 
conservative, is it not, Mr. McQueen? 

Mr. McQueen. I think so. 

Mr. Godwin. There is deep water on the river now, about 22 to 24 
feet, and we have a proposition under way for a 30-foot channel from 
Wilmington to the sea. You may depend upon it, we are going to 
have deep-water transportation on the Cape Fear River. Wilmington 
will be a port of entry and one of the leading South Atlantic ports. 
Our request is not for much; we are not extravagant people. This 
measure is indorsed by people from New York to Florida. We do 
not care whether you "report the bill as it is; if you like, you may 
amend it. All we "ask is the simple pi'oposition of purchasing the site 
of Fort Fisher, let it be three or four hundred acres, put it in the 
hands of the proper official— the Secretary of War, I believe the bill 
states — and let it be purchased or bought for just as little as possible. 
If it does not require more than two or three thousand dollars, we 



12 • NATIONAL. PARK AT FORT FISHEK, N. C. 

will be satisfied. We are not extravagant, as I said, and do not wish 
to create a burden or hardship in a case like this. It really seems to 
me that we are entitled to a favorable report. Give us a favorable 
report and let me take it up in the House of Representatives and 
we will see what we can do with it. We had a hearing before on this 
bill and Rev. J. A. Smith, who is here this morning, participated in 
the battle of Fort Fisher. He came up to Washington in just about 
such weather as we have this morning and appeared before the full 
committee, as you doubtless remember, Mr. Chairman. He is here 
again to-day in this stormy season asking for the bill, and I do not 
believe they are going to cease in their efforts until it is reported. 
We are going to keep hammering and knocking at it until we get it. 
I do not believe that the lands are very valuable for agricultural pur- 
poses, therefore I thmk they could be purchased very reasonably. I 
do not believe that it would be setting any bad precedent, and I am 
satisfied the committee could well afford to give us a favorable report 
on this bill after hearing these representatives of the Fort Fisher 
Survivors' Association. 

Mr. Jones. I simply want to impress on the chairman and members 
of this commit tee the idea that this is the only case you probably have 
ever had before you where the army and navy, the blue and the gray, 
united in asking for legislation. I am satisfied it is the only case you 
ever had. We certainly had the greatest time of our lives at the 
reunion two years ago yesterday, and I think from my union stand- 
point that we did more than has been done in all the years since the 
war to start that feeling which is growing so rapidly to-day to bring 
the North and South together as one. 

The Chairman. I can assure you that the matter sliall be presented 
to the whole committee. The subcommittee will get together and 
talk it over and then the full committee will consider it. And, speak- 
ing for the committee, I can assure 3"ou that the sympathies of the 
Committee on Military Affairs are with a project of this kind and that 
they are not adverse to the desirability of matters such as you have 
proposed. I need not say that there are many of these matters before 
the committee, and that economy is the watchword of this Congress, 
as you have brought out more forcibly than I could, but the commit- 
tee, as I assure you, has a most kindly and favorable feeling toward a 
proposition of this kind, especially one as unique as this. We are 
very glad to have met you, gentlemen. 

STATEMENT OF MR. THOMAS D. MEAEES, WILMINGTON, N. C. 

Mr. Meares. I wish to bring out the fact and state here positively 
that there is not the slightest taint of commercialism in the whole 
proposition. The money expended there will be for land for the site, 
and it will inure to the benefit of no one in an}' possible way. It is 
simply a proposition to commemorate tlie battle of Fort Fisher. 

Tnereupon the subcommittee adjourned. 

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